Singapore for a Day

I will write briefly about Singapore, where I spent a night in transit on the way to Indonesia and a day on the way back. Its a super efficient city that feels like Europe in some parts although it has distinct neighborhoods (little india, Chinatown, arab street) Flying in you can see all of the container ships lined up in the ocean- its quite an impressive sight, but according to some locals I met this makes it less appetizing to go for a swim. The place does not have a long history, but the national languages include English. I saw Chinese and Hindu temples, and a church built by the wealthy Armenians and also enjoyed a break in some of the very nicely manicured parks. I was, however, feeling a bit down as the whole place seemed to lack character and be a bit like Disneyland meets the financial district of New York with a Chinese theme.

Astounding After a Beer

Then, I came across a brewery near the Singapore River. This perked me up and as I sipped beer and looked at the skyline, I began to feel a lot better about the place. Afterwards I was inspired to start taking some more pictures of the area, which I did. I was particularly impressed by the “surfboard” buildings, 3 buildings that appeared to have a surfboard strung across the top (later I found out this is the famous casino). As I was wandering around taking pictures of various insignificant landmarks in a tipsy and excited state (“Look- it’s a palm tree with Christmas lights- how hilarious! *click click*), I lost track of time and the day had advanced pretty far when I got back on the subway and realized my flight was leaving quite soon. Suddenly my impressions changed and I hoped that the $10 budget flight I had booked would wait for me. Somehow I knew it wouldn’t, but was able to make it make to the airport in time to catch the plane (thank you Singaporean subway system and efficiency!).